Hi
What Life Coaching
Really Is
This week’s newsletter derives from an article originally written by Neil Asher, the founder of New Insights internationally. The article deals with impulses for change and how they alert us to new opportunities.
We all experience them yet few of us act on them - powerful motivation for hiring a life coach!
Today I called a woman back who had inquired about life coaching and she said: "Thanks for calling me back so quickly. It really helps to keep my momentum going."
At that point, what coaching REALLY is suddenly became crystal clear to me!
Impulses for Change
From time to time, we receive impulses for change.
It might be because we get inspired. We might see someone else with what we want. A new possibility might occur to us. Perhaps it's a flash of insight. Or maybe it's a challenge from a friend or colleague.
Most often, though, it's because something in our life has gotten worse than we're willing to tolerate, and we say: "I've had enough!"
Whatever the reason, these impulses for change come along at certain intervals in our life. However, they rarely last long.
Last week I had an impulse to exercise (again). However, the impulse is not particularly consistent, and doesn't always come at
times when it's convenient for me to exercise.
Perhaps there are times when you have thought: "Gosh, my relationship really could be better. There must be something I can do to improve it?" Then, the next day, the impulse is gone.
Perhaps, at some point, you felt inspired to make changes in your business: "What would it take to double my profits? I'm definitely going to make some changes in this business when I am less busy." Then, a few days later, the impulse has gone and your focus is on something else.
Perhaps you are the kind of person who takes on new projects with gusto thinking: "This is good. I'm going to stick with it and make it work," only to find out that a few weeks or months later it feels like old hat, and you follow a familiar pattern of switching to something else?
The point is IMPULSES FOR CHANGE DO NOT LAST! This is why we human beings often don't take the actions that we know and believe are
necessary to improve our lives.
Without coaching - without a STRUCTURE for change - our natural tendency is to stay in our 'grooves'. We may want things to change, but we don't change them. We feel an impulse for change, then lose that impulse before having taken any action.
Staying the same is a natural outcome.
Why the need for change?
Impulses for change are the signals alerting you to new opportunities. They represent your intuition picking up on what you would really like to do in your life, what your business needs right now, what the perfect job for you would be, who you should be with right now.
At a deeper level, these impulses, if acted upon, are opportunities to grow and evolve. If we ignore these impulses, we'll feel an inner restlessness - knowing something is wrong, but not being sure exactly what. As we struggle to understand and come to terms with this inner restlessness, we may seek to calm it
by immersing ourselves in TV, movies, alcohol, smoking, drugs and even withdrawing from society.
The point is that it's important to recognize impulses for what they are and not ignore them. If you want the secret to achieving your goals and living an amazing life, then recognize and find a way to HARNESS THESE IMPULSES.
The Coaching Structure
At it's simplest, coaching may be described as a structure for change.
Coaching harnesses the energy for change by encouraging clients to act upon those impulses that last from a few moments to a few weeks.
Life coaching can help you be successful in achieving any goal that's important to you by committing you to actions that promote irreversible change.
Think about it. If you had an impulse to exercise and become fit and you actioned it by going running, that would be good – but it's quite likely that you would refrain from running again until the next impulse come
along. On the other hand, if you actioned this impulse by taking out a year's contract with the local gym and hiring a personal fitness trainer, then you would be far more likely to effect an irreversible change and actually get fit!
With life coaching you make a commitment, in the presence of your coach, to achieve your goals, working within a certain time frame, perhaps 3, 6 or 12 months, usually with one or more review points along the way to assess progress. What may at first seem like 'big, hairy goals' are broken down into manageable milestones with relevant and achievable action steps.
Within a supportive coaching structure, one is far more likely to pursue one’s goals and achieve them.
With the support of a coach, the woman who feels an impulse to change careers is able to appreciate the impulse, understand why she has been exposed to it and, if she so wishes, act on it effectively. With the help of her coach, it's quite likely that in
six months time she will have decided on a new career direction that she finds inspiring, and will have a brand new resume and ten interviews lined up!
Working with a coach, the man who receives an impulse to organise his business so that he has more time for himself, won't still be complaining about lack of personal time after six months. He'll be designing ways to allocate his time in a more empowering way, setting boundaries, hiring an assistant, feeling and looking happier and attracting more clients!
Coaching holds the key
Without a coach, most of us will tend to react to impulses for change by following the path of least resistance, i.e. keeping our lives the same by taking no action.
Having a coach is a very different proposition. The coach will hold you to account to yourself so that the path of least resistance becomes the achieving of your goals! Impulses for change become fantastic momentum building opportunities that,
when actioned, lead to amazing personal growth and contentment.
So would coaching be a smart investment for you right now? Are you the kind of person who could benefit?
If you're content for the next five years to be similar to the last five years, then you don't need any input or help from anyone. However, if you want to awaken yourself to the vast possibilities open to you and you want to be in a very different and far more satisfying place five years from now, then whatever you do, don't pass up to impulse to give life coaching a try!
Now, you decide.
Till next time,
Warm Regards.
Bill.
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